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Thonglor nightlife

Thonglor runs north from Sukhumvit Soi 55 and is Bangkok's most upmarket nightlife strip. It skews bars, rooftops and speakeasies rather than large clubs, draws a mixed expat and Thai crowd, and costs noticeably more than RCA for the same night out.

Thonglor nightlife at night — illustrative artwork, not a photograph of the area
Illustrative image — not a photograph of Thonglor.

Thonglor vs RCA

RCA and Thonglor are close to opposite ends of the same city. RCA is built around large rooms, loud sound systems and moving between venues on foot; Thonglor is built around sitting down. The venues are smaller, the music is background rather than the point, and the evening is organised around drinks and conversation instead of a dance floor. If you want a club night, RCA is the better answer and cheaper by a clear margin. If you want a good bar and somewhere you can hear the person opposite you, Thonglor wins and RCA cannot really compete.

Who goes

Mixed expat and well-off Thai, skewing older than RCA — late twenties and up rather than students. It is a neighbourhood people live in as well as go out in, so midweek has a regulars feel that RCA does not.

What it costs

The most expensive of the five districts. Expect to pay noticeably more per drink than at RCA, and considerably more than Khao San. Many venues have no entry charge at all, which offsets some of it — the spend is on what you order, not at the door.

How the night runs

Starts earlier and ends earlier than RCA. Bars fill from around dinner time and the strip is busiest mid-evening. There is no equivalent of RCA's post-midnight surge, and a lot of Thonglor is winding down when RCA is peaking.

Getting home

BTS Thong Lo stops running before the bars close, so plan on Grab. The soi is long and one-way in places, which makes pickup slower than the map suggests — walk down to Sukhumvit Road if the app is quoting a long wait.

Pick Thonglor for

  • —A drinks night rather than a club night
  • —Cocktail bars, rooftops and speakeasies
  • —Somewhere you can hold a conversation
  • —An older or more mixed group

Go elsewhere if

you want big-room clubbing, a late night, or a cheap one — all three are RCA's strengths and none of them are Thonglor's.

Getting there

BTS Thong Lo on the Sukhumvit line, then a taxi or motorbike up the soi — the strip runs a long way north and the far end is not walkable from the station.

Questions

Is Thonglor better than RCA for nightlife?

They are for different nights. Thonglor is better for cocktail bars, rooftops and a night built around drinking and talking. RCA is better for large clubs, dancing and a later, cheaper night. Neither substitutes for the other.

Is Thonglor expensive?

It is the most expensive nightlife district in Bangkok. Drinks cost noticeably more than at RCA. Entry charges are less common than at the RCA clubs, so more of the spend goes on what you order.

How do I get from Thonglor to RCA?

Grab or taxi, usually 15–25 minutes depending on traffic. There is no direct train connection — RCA is not on a BTS or MRT line, so the journey is by road either way.

What this page does not cover

This is an orientation page. We list individual venues for RCA, where we cover 14 of them in detail, and not yet for Thonglor — so this page describes the area rather than naming bars we cannot yet stand behind.

See the RCA venues

Other Bangkok nightlife areas

  • RCA (Royal City Avenue)

    A purpose-built nightlife strip of large clubs on one road in Huai Khwang.

  • Sukhumvit

    The long spine of Bangkok nightlife, from Nana to Ekkamai.

  • Khao San Road

    Backpacker nightlife, street bars and the cheapest drinks in the city.

  • Silom

    Bangkok's LGBTQ+ nightlife centre, around Soi 2 and Soi 4.

  • Ekkamai

    Design-led bars, rooftops and one serious club, on Sukhumvit Soi 63.

  • Yaowarat (Chinatown)

    Street food until very late, and speakeasies behind shophouse doors.

By the RoyalCityAvenue.com editorial team. Last updated . Venue details change often — how we verify.